The present invention relates to improved scanning ophthalmoscopes for scanning the retina of an eye.
Some of the previous scanning ophthalmoscopes are described by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,815,242 and 7,959,290, and US Publication No. 2013/0093996, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,242 describes a scanning laser ophthalmoscope which produces images of the rear surface of the human eye, and particularly of the retina, by utilizing an aspherical mirror to reflect light beams, produced by multiple scanning laser light sources, into the retina. The scanning laser ophthalmoscope comprises a laser light source, a first scanning system, a second scanning system, and an aspherical mirror. The laser light source, the first scanning system, and the second scanning system are adapted to combine to provide a two-dimensional laser light scan from an apparent point source. The aspherical mirror has two foci and is adapted to transfer the two-dimensional laser light scan from the apparent point source into the eye. The scanning laser ophthalmoscope is adapted to provide the apparent point source at a first focus of the aspherical mirror and to accommodate the eye at a second focus of the mirror.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,959,290 describes a scanning ophthalmoscope for scanning the retina of an eye comprising a source of collimated light, a first scanning element, a second scanning element, a scan compensation device, and a scan transfer device. The first scanning element produces a one-dimensional collimated light scan in a first direction. The scan compensation device delivers the one-dimensional collimated light scan from the first scanning element onto the second scanning element in a manner that the scan in the first direction appears to be provided from an apparent point source. The second scanning element produces from the one-dimensional collimated light scan a two-dimensional collimated light scan by scanning in a second direction from the apparent point source. The scan transfer device transfers the two-dimensional collimated light scan from the apparent point source into the eye.
US Publication No. 2013/0093996 describes a scanning ophthalmoscope for scanning the retina of an eye and a method of scanning the retina of an eye. The ophthalmoscope comprises a source of collimated light, a first scanning element, a second scanning element, a scan relay device, and a scan transfer device. The source of collimated light, the first and second scanning elements, and the scan relay device combine to provide a two-dimensional collimated light scan from an apparent point source. The scan transfer device transfers the two-dimensional collimated light scan from the apparent point source into the eye.
Here we describe further improved scanning ophthalmoscopes and/or apparatuses, which are capable of not only performing point scanning of the retina but also, in some embodiments, the line scanning of the retina.